Bimber Distillery

Nestled in the west of London is the Bimber Distillery. We happened to discover this micro distillery as they have just released a London Classic Rum distilled from molasses from the Caribbean. Created by master distiller Darius Plazewski, the London Classic Rum is a Single blended Rum distilled in both copper pot and column stills and is unaged. The Rum was released at the UK Rumfest and is also the base spirit for the Laki Kane Spiced Dry Rum Club (see earlier post Spiced Dry Rum Club). Bottled at 40% abv, the rum is available to purchase at an RRP of £24.95. Even though it is distilled from a molasses base it has hints of Agricole on the nose with a subtle grassy note. Darius has been quoted as saying

We visited the distillery on the back of Rumfest and as we were impressed with the flavour profile of the Rum and enthusiasm of Luke who was representing the brand at the show. It is also good to see where spirits come from and learn a little bit more about their history.

On arrival we were served a refreshing Gin & Tonic before looking around. One of the first questions asked was where did the name come from? Luke informed us that ‘Bimber’ is the Polish word for Moonshine. The distillery opened in 2015, first bottling in 2016. It is one of the first London distilleries to produce Single Malt Whisky for over a century. In terms of production they distill, bottle and label by hand in batches of 1,000.

The new-make spirit is currently being aged in four different cask types: ex-Bourbon, ex-Pedro Ximenez, ex-Port & Virgin American oak. The first batches will become whisky in June 2019 (3 years and a day from distillation).

The distillery has 2 stills, Doris and Astraea, representing water and purity. Doris (600 litre copper pot still) is named after a Grecian sea Goddess. A Goddess of the waters, she looks after the mouths of rivers where fresh waters flow freely.

Astraea is a Greek goddess of innocence and purity, striving endlessly for perfection and with great attention to detail. Given that the task of Astraea is to refine the final new-make spirit, it is the perfect name.  This process was underway when we visited and I have to say tasting the new-make spirit straight from the still was a bonus. We later found out that Astraea is also connected with the month of December, which is when the first ever batches of spirits were distilled in 2015. As with other distilleries waiting for whisky to mature, Bimber has also produced other spirits in the meantime such as Vodka and Gin. They currently have 6 Vodkas and 2 Gins alongside the 1 Rum but this will grow to include English Barley Vodka and obviously the Whisky. It was clear from talking to them that they like to experiment frequently. We tasted some of the naturally infused Vodkas (Blackcurrant, Cherry, Summer fruit which have no added sugar), an Oak aged Vodka and the Gins. The 2 London Dry Gins have 10 botanicals each and are bottled at 40% and 42% abv. We finished our tour discussing the Whisky. There are 5 exposures: A signature blend, Ex Sherry cask, Ex Port cask, Ex Bourbon cask and Virgin American Oak cask. What is worth noting is that the Barley used in fermentation comes from Hampshire. This really is a distillery that cares about the products they make and the process, using traditional methods and natural ingredients. The abv of the signature blend is 43% whereas the others are around 63%. There are approximately 400 casks at the distillery. In terms of my previous experience I have to say I have not really drunk that much Whisky because of the diversity of the Rum category. However, having experienced the full range I can say there will be some bottles appearing in Rumcompass HQ! Mrs F really enjoyed the Virgin American oak and the Sherry cask was lovely.

Overall what started with Rum turned into much more. We really enjoyed meeting Darius and value the time given up by Luke to show us around. I am pleased that they have started producing a Rum and recommend you try one of the many tours available. It is well worth a visit with knowledgeable and friendly staff and of course great products.

Since returning home I have spent a bit more time with the Rum and can confirm it makes a great Daiquiri!